Once Upon A Holy Downton You're Carson!
by Queen Regent Of The North
Summary: Strange people rock up on Downton Abbey's doorstep. How will the household cope with these two girls who are set to rock Downton to its foundations? Many characters shall appear but I've only listed the main ones.
1. Chapter 1

**Hellooo! Welcome to the weirdest fic I have ever written. Co written by me and my darling Parabartai, (drumroll please) Kay! This is her first taste of writing fanfic and I'm secretly hoping to get her addicted. So be nice ;). Although, I should point out she only started writing in CH 2 (which is a quarter done). When she got roped in. However enjoy! **

It had all started when a young girl had knocked on the doors of Downton claiming she was lost. He had surveyed her odd clothing with interest, the same way she had surveyed his. What sort of girl was this? She wore a pair of trousers (jeans, as she called them) and a tight fitting shirt with tiny straps (called a tank top apparently) in the brightest pink he had ever seen. Her eyes widened as she took in her surroundings

"Seven Hells, you're Charles Carson! This...this is Downton Abbey!" She exclaimed loudly. He blinked in surprise

"Yes and you are?" He said in his most imperious tone but this seemed to make her smile even wider

"Hannah" she answered "although my friends call me Han, or Hannie although I'd prefer Han."

"I see, Miss Hannah. May I take your bag?"

She glanced down in surprise to find a black bag with a long strap lying at her feet

"Oh, uh, no thanks. I'd rather keep it with me. And please, call me Hannah"

Carson cleared his throat in a disapproving manner and walked towards the library. He turned around when he noticed she wasn't following

"If you would follow me to the Library, I'll inform his lordship that you're here" he said as politely as possible. Hannah gave a start and hurried after him

"I'm so sorry. This place is just so awesome!"

He gave a non commital grunt and abandoned her in the library. Usually he would have launched into the history of his beloved Downton Abbey but this strange person had truly stumped him.

**)O(**

"You can't possibly have come from 2014. Its un heard of!" Exclaimed Lord Grantham "this is a Folly!"

Hannah groaned and covered her face with her hands

"We've been over this. I don't know how I ended up here or how to get back. All I know is I was sitting at my laptop, about to start season 4 when I sneezed and ended up at your door."

"What on earth is a lapstop? What do you mean season four? Do you mean Winter?" Lord Grantham asked as he paced in front of the fire place

"Laptop" Hannah corrected "its a devise that you can communicate with other people on and research things to put it simply. It appears to have come with me, I can show you if you like"

"Yes please do! I think we all need some proof of this elaborate fairy tale." Lord Grantham said hotly

"Robert!" Chided Lady Grantham "be polite!"

Lord Grantham ignored her and gestured for Hannah to continue. Hannah reached into her bag and brought out a rectangular object, which she balanced on her knee and opened up. She pressed a button and the one half of it glowed in a blue light. Robert yelped and leapt away from it, shielding his wife in the process. Carson stayed where he was but his eyes grew alarmingly wide. Hannah ignored them both and began pressing random buttons until finally she flipped it round to face Lord Grantham. He carefully inched forward till he could read what she'd written

'Now do you believe me?'

He drew a sharp breath and nodded slowly before scurrying back to the other side of the room.

"We would be most honored to have you stay with us." He finally said "where would you be most comfortable?"

**)O(**

"Come along Mi- Hannah" Carson said patiently as he watched her turn in small circles trying to absorb the whole of the entrance hall.

"I'm so sorry. I just can't believe I'm in Downton Abbey." She said as she caught up to him and followed him downstairs. Carson wasn't quite sure how to respond to this so he opted to change the subject

"I'll take you to our House Keeper, and she'll organize a room for you." Before Hannah could answer they'd reached a hallway and he was knocking on a door

"Come in" was the soft reply. Carson motioned for Hannah to go ahead of him

"Hannah this is-" he started to say but she cut him off

"Elsie Hughes, house keeper of Downton Abbey! Oh wow oh wow oh wow! You're my favorite character in the whole show!" She exclaimed as she launched herself into a very surprised housekeepers arms. Luckily, Carson had managed to explain to Mrs Hughes what was going on when he was sent down for a pot of tea and some sandwiches so she wasn't completely in the dark. She merely shot him a strange look over Hannah's shoulder as she patted her on the back. He had to give Mrs Hughes credit, she was very good at adapting quickly.

"Its nice to meet you too...Hannah right?" Elsie said kindly

"That's right" the girl confirmed "your accent is beautiful"

Elsie coloured slightly but was saved having to answer as Hannah had barreled on

"Oh and you two are so adorable together in real life. I totally ship you!"

"You totally what us?" Asked Carson in a confused tone, glancing over at Elsie to see if she knew what this meant but her face was as blank as his.

"Oh I'm sorry, I forgot you wouldn't know what that meant. It means that I think you should be in a romantic relationship" she explained, glancing from one to the other "in fact you two are my OTP which means you are my one true pair. Unfortunately you guys aren't canon yet but here's hoping that'll change soon and I'm rambling so I'm going to shut up." She finished with a rush. Elsie had now turned a very alarming shade of red and Carson was looking highly uncomfortable

"I have a wine delivery coming soon" Carson said awkwardly "I'll be in my pantry should anyone needs me"

Mrs Hughes nodded as he left

"I've made him feel awkward haven't I?" Asked Hannah a little sadly "I always seem to say the wrong thing"

"Don't you worry about him lass, he'll be back to his usual self soon enough" Mrs Hughes reassured her. "Come on, let's go and get you sorted out and then I'll introduce you to the rest of us."

**)O(**

Hannah came back downstairs just in time for tea. She'd been given a room near the servants quarters and has spent the afternoon familiarizing herself with it. She would be spending her evening with the servants as the family had a prior engagement and it could not be cancelled at such short notice. This suited her just fine for two simple reasons. One, she wanted to get to know the downstairs family and two she needed lessons on which fork or spoon to use. She made a mental note to ask someone for help when they had a chance.

"Mr Carson, would you mind doing the introductions?" Asked Mrs Hughes as she took her place. He nodded and directed Hannah to a free chair, right between Thomas and O' Brien.

"As many of you already know we are joined today by Hannah who comes from um"

"2014" Hannah supplied biting back a smile when she noticed Mrs Hughes rolling her eyes

"Exactly." Said Mr Carson as dignified as possible "can we all please make her as welcome as possible, and not nag her about your futures. That's the great thing about the future, we never know what to expect"

Both Hannah and Mrs Hughes raised their eyebrows behind his back. To think that Mr Carson was giving a speech on the future where things would undoubtedly change.

"Although I am sure her world is a fascinating world to reside in, I can assure you I'd rather be put to death than live in a word filled with strange technology." He finished and sat down. The room fell into a few moments of silence as everyone started eating when the door bell rang. Mr Carson got up and headed upstairs. He opened the door and stared down in shock. There was another one on the door step.

**Soooooo...what do you think so far? Please please please review! We have so much in store! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! My parabatai dragged me into co-writing her fic (or rather I jumped in and she's just too nice to kick me out of her story) so please go easy on me! There was a bit of an issue with the posting so I hope that's fixed now. Enjoy! :)**

The girl that was now standing on the steps was shorter than Hannah. She had blonde hair that reached the small of her back and piercing blue grey eyes. She too wore jeans and a black shirt with a pink crocheted shall draped over her shoulders. She was also clutching a bright purple rectangular object tightly to her chest

"Not another one" groaned Carson as he observed her from his lofty position

"Well that's polite." She answered raising an eyebrow and twisting her mouth into a slight smirk

"Beg pardon Miss, please do come in?" Carson asked, stepping back to allow her to pass and snapping into his butler persona

"By the angel, it really is Downton. I thought I'd finally gone insane. Well, more insane." She muttered to herself as she looked around the hall. "Ooh that's where Mathew finally admitted he was in love with Mary even though he was engaged to Lavina. Such an adorable moment. I fangirled so hard."

Carson hadn't the faintest idea how she could have known about that but decided he had enough of a headache without getting that explanation.

"I had better take you to his Lordship"

"Oh joy. Only if he brings the dog. Isis is my favorite, just so cute." She said skipping along the hall. She turned to Carson "well, do show the way." Carson shook his head in slight annoyance, silently praying she would be the last.

"Mi'lord, Miss..." Carson started to say but in his shock he had forgotten to ask for the girls name

"Kailyn" she replied "although Kay is good too"

"Not Kayyie?" He asked, remembering the Hannah had three names

"Kayyie? What sort of a name is Kayyie?" She asked, frowning at him in confusion

"Never mind" Carson sighed. All he wanted to do was hide in his pantry with his ledgers and pretend the world was normal. Instead he had strange teenagers appearing at the door.

"Carson what is going on old chap?" Demanded Lord Grantham, who had grown tired of waiting for Carson to finish the introductions and had come out into the hall to see what was going on, followed by the ever faithful Isis.

Kailyn fell to her knees in front of the dog and proceeded to smother it in hugs.

"Who in gods name is this?" Asked Lord Grantham loudly over the cooing noises the strange girl was making.

"Uh, a Miss Kailyn mi'lord. She turned up at the door like the same way the other one did earlier."

"Strange as the last one too" observed Lord Grantham. Suddenly Kailyn sat up

"Who ever the 'last one' is I can promise you that I'm even stranger" she informed them determinedly. Lord Grantham blinked in surprise at her as Isis thoroughly washed her cheek.

"Quite right." He eventually said "do come into the library and we'll try and get to the bottom of this."

"Meh, licky" Kailyn said as she got up off the floor and wiped her cheek

"I beg your pardon?" Lord Grantham asked. Kailyn headed into the library calling over her shoulder

"Your dog. She's very licky"

They entered the library and Kailyn flopped down onto a chair "so now tell me, who is this "other one" she said.

"Now, I'm not sure we should start there. First tell me who exactly you are" Lord Grantham said, frowning at the way Kailyn was sitting on the chair. "Me? Well my dear Lord Grantham I am Kailyn. I'm sure we've been over this already, now if you ask how I got here that's a question I can not answer. But tell me, let's forget about this other girl, which I promise couldn't possibly be as epicly awesome as myself, let's talk about these books. Have you read them all? " Kailyn jumped up and walked up to a shelf and looked through different books, while both Lord Grantham and Carson stood watching in shock. Not even Hannah had an attitude like this one.

"A fair few" replied Lord Grantham, wincing as she stretched up to pull a book down

"A Tale of Two Cities!" She exclaimed "Tessa and Will's favorite book. Personally I found it hard to follow but that could be because the wording is weird."

"Its english" pointed out Lord Grantham with raised eyebrows

"Why are you in white tie?" Asked Kailyn, completely ignoring his earlier statement "I thought the dressing gong was only rung at six?"

Lord Grantham gave a start and headed out the door muttering excuses

"What on earth?" Kailyn asked asked as she watched him go

"His Lordship is late." Carson informed her in a tone that implied it was all Kailyn's fault

"Well, he'll just have to bite the bullet won't he now?" Kailyn shrugged and went back to the book case

Carson, again decided to ignore what ever that comment meant and decided to ask

"How did you know we ring the dinner gong at six?"

Kailyn rolled her eyes and turned to face him

"I have actually watched the show you know, I may not be able to remember every detail, no matter how many times I watch it or however many times my parabatai quotes it, I do know a lot more than you think."

"What show? What do you mean?" Carson asked

"Nevermind." Kailyn sighed, waving her hand in a careless manner. "perhaps you should introduce me to the 'other strange girl?"

"Certainly" Carson said "I have rounds to do so I'll ring for Mrs Hughes"

He walked over and pulled the bell. A few short moments later Anna appeared in the doorway

"Beg Pardon Mr Carson, Mrs Hughes is helping Mrs Patmore and the footmen and Thomas are seeing the family off so I came"

Kailyn ran over the Anna and hugged her tightly, feeling her stiffen she pulled back "my bad. I really do love you though Anna dear, your character is just so amazing and Oh my gosh you're just such a darling. " Anna looked over at Carson as Kailyn rambled on. "Yes, another" he said. Kailyn shut up and glared at Carson "no need to be so rude. I can teach you all a great deal! Now come along, I must meet this other girl and see what the whole fuss is about"

Kailyn took hold of Anna's hand and skipped along, then stopped when she realized she hadn't the faintest of a clue as to where she was going. Carson sighed "this way, Miss Kailyn"

**Please review! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Kay and I would like to thank you for your kind reviews and we hope that you enjoy what is planned. **

Carson and Anna led Kailyn to the back stairs and sent her up ahead of them.

"This place is made of stairs" she grumbled as she finally got to the top "okay, where now?"

"First door on the left" Anna told her and Kailyn sauntered up. Without knocking she let the door fly open and marched in. Hannah, who was sitting on her bed, let out a small scream at the rude intrusion. The two girls looked at one another in shock, slowly taking one another in until eventually Hannah started to laugh

"Kay, what in seven hells are you doing here?" She asked through her chuckles

"I might ask you the same!" Protested Kailyn with a grin "trust us to end up at Downton at the same time"

Carson stared at the two girls

"Am I to understand that you two know each other?" He asked in a perplexed tone. The two girls turned to face him

"Never seen her in my life. Carson please remove this impostor from my room at once!" Hannah dead panned

"Hannah!" Kailyn exclaimed "is that how you treat your twin and parabatai?"

"Alright alright" sighed Hannah "Yes Mr Carson I do know this weird child. I get about 50 random messages from her day"

"And you love them all." Intoned Kay with a grin

"I think we'll leave you to get reacquainted with one another then" Carson interrupted

"Noo! Don't leave me with the crazy girl!" Kailyn said loudly as she ran forward and grabbed his collar with both hands

"Unhand me at once!" Carson demanded, attempting to take a step back from a clinging Kailyn

"Yes Kay, unhand him!" Hannah grinned "its Mrs Hughes' job to grab his collar not yours"

"I beg your pardon?!" Sputtered Carson getting more and more flustered by the second

"Kay for gods sake let the man go before he has another heart attack"

Kailyn huffed and let him go

"It was an anxiety attack not a heart attack" she pointed out "and he obviously lived"

"True, but I don't think he would have survived this time"

"No not with your comment about Mrs Hughes and his collar. This is Carson Han, mention the words 'so n so's little toe' and he'll probably faint away" Kailyn illustrated her point by flopping down onto the bed

"Especially if its Mrs Hughes' toe" Hannah agreed just before Carson interrupted

"I am NOT in love with Mrs Hughes!" He shouted loudly. The two girls sat up straight and blinked at him. Then, they simultaneously cast exasperated looks at one another before turning back to him

"Yeah right" they both said with a smirk

"Be honest" continued Hannah "how many times have thought of kissing her hello?"

"Or kissing her goodbye?" Kailyn added

"Or kissing her during an argument just to surprise her"

"Or kissing her to say sorry for being such a stubborn bull headed man?"

"Or kiss-"

"I refuse to listen to this anymore." Carson interrupted and stormed out the room

"You do all those things in fanfiction!" Hannah called after him, before collapsing into helpless giggles

"At least you have your head screwed on right Anna" Kailyn told the perplexed ladies maid as she flopped back onto the bed

"In what way mi'lady?" Asked Anna

"First off, my name is kay. Not mi'lady."

"No, to be called a lady she might actually have to act like one" Hannah said "ow!" She shouted when Kay hit her none to gently on the arm

"Second, you fell in love with a man and chased him till you got him, then stuck by him during his trial and all." Kay continued "not many girls in our world would have that strength"

"True story" agreed Hannah with a smile "I'm particularly fond of that one line of yours 'I'd rather have the right man than the right wedding'. I think that's very wise"

"How...how could you possibly have known about that conversation?" Anna asked, her cheeks going a bizarre spotted red. Kay opened her mouth to explain but Anna swiftly cut her off

"You watched the series. I'm not sure I like my life being played out on some screen."

"No, I don't believe I would either" Hannah said thoughtfully "but rest assured, its more the life of an entire house not just yours"

"And just think, thanks to you woman all over the world find themselves in love with the mysterious John Bates" Kailyn added with a grin

"I'm not sure that's a good thing mi'lady" Anna said with a grin "now, you must let me get on. I better make sure Mr Carson has managed to calm down."

"I thought that was Mrs Hughes' job" Hannah smirked

"It usually is" she replied "but Mrs Hughes has gone into the village"

"Well best of luck then" Kay saluted her and Anna left the room. Hannah immediately rounded on Kay

"We have to get them together" she said determinedly. Kay backed off in mock alarm

"Easy there darling" she warned "Anna and Bates are already together. Married in fact." She pointed out making Hannah roll her eyes in frustration

"Not Anna and Bates you twit. Carson and Hughes!"

"I am not a pregnant goldfish!" Exclaimed Kay "besides how on earth do we do that Han? I have never met such stubborn people in my life, and as you're my best friend that's saying something!"

"I am not that stubborn!" Han defended herself

"Are too"

"Am not"

Kay looked very pointedly at her

"Anyway, there has got to be a way. They're made for one another." Han said, ignoring Kay's smirk.

"Well they clearly do not think so. Besides, maybe they think working with each other after you know being with each other would be weird. And God forbid the remarks Thomas would make. Besides, I'm tired." Kailyn stated "can we discuss this in the morning?"

"Its six o clock at night!" Exclaimed Han "you can't possibly be tired"

"Well I am. Its not everyday I manage to fall into a period drama." she said with a yawn "where are you going?" She added when Han opened the door

"To look around the house while I devise a plan to get them together. I think I'll start with her sitting room" Han explained as she left

"Hannah! Come back!" Called Kay as she quickly got off the bed "you'll just make it worse!"

However, Han had already left so Kay had no choice but to hurry after her muttering under breath as she went. The house was larger than one would have thought and after everything that had happened Kailyn was not only tired but also hungry. She caught up with Hannah

"can't we start with the kitchen? " she asked, pouting. Hannah looked down at Kailyn and rolled her eyes

"Why would we do that?" she asked. Kailyn smiled innocently

"I'm hungry! Now hungryness and tiredness hardly go well together and if you won't let me sleep then at least let me eat!"

Han sighed and rolled her eyes upwards

"Fine, we'll start with the damn kitchen"

**Hehehehehehe...what will Mrs Patmore be able to tell them? What are your thoughts on these two nutcases? Review and let us know! **


	4. Chapter 4

**We are soo sorry for the delay in updates but we really didn't plan our timing to start this well. Kay has been on holiday (lucky devil) my phone broke so I can't write as much as I used to and we both have competitions coming up so we're stressed beyond recognition. Anyway, to all of you who are planning on sticking with us. THANK YOU! **

"Mrs Patmore this apple tart is absolutely divine! " Kay sighed as she lifted another fork full to her mouth

"Well I'm not just a pretty face" the cook replied with a grin "however Daisy made that not me"

"Well then I suppose our compliments must go to Daisy then" Han smiled at the assistant cook "well done" she said. Daisy squeaked and ran from the room as fast as her legs would carry her

"Skill Han,you frighten our chef away" Kay said sarcastically

"I only gave her a compliment" she defended herself. Kailyn shook her head and looked down at her plate which was now empty.

"Don't worry about her." Mrs Patmore advised "she may get excited about a new mixer but two girls from the future are a little outside her comfort zone"

"May I have some more?" Asked Kay,holding out her plate and looking soulfully at Mrs Patmore

"Kay we're supposed to be getting information not stuffing our face. Honestly,how do you eat so much? " protested Han earning herself a glare from Kay and a chuckle from Mrs Patmore as she slid another slice onto each of their plates

"You can eat and talk" she said "what do you want to know?"

"The recipe for this slice of heaven"

"Carson and Hughes' relationship" they both said at the same time. Kay grinned at Han and she returned the grin with a small smile.

"Kay, we can get the recipe later" Han told her

"No we can't, we might end up back at home any second from now." She argued before returning to sucking on her fork

"I'll write it down for you" promised Mrs Patmore "and there is no relationship between Mr Carson and Mrs Hughes"

"Yay!" Cheered Kay "I mean about the recipe not about Carson. That's just terribly sad." she added catching her friends incredulous look . Then began to speak to herself in a soft tone."They should get married,then have little Butler and head house maid kids. Although I suppose they're too old for that..."

"But do you think there should be? Han asked "Oh and Kay, she's housekeeper not head housemaid" Mrs Patmore thought for a minute before replying

"I think they suit each other,they already behave like an old married couple" she admitted "but neither of them would ever do anything about it"

"Why not?" Asked Han with a frown

"Please don't frighten away the other chef" Kay piped up

"Because they're both devoted to their jobs and if they were in a romantic relationship they wouldn't be able to work here"

"I'm sure I said that! " Kay said.

"But Bates and Anna are married!" Argued Han

"But they're not the heads of the household" Mrs Patmore pointed out

"Yes Han" said Kay "when you're head of the household you have to behave yourself. No snogging behind the bicycle sheds"

"That's not fair" pouted Han "if they love one another they should be able to be together"

"Well to be fair, I don't think Carson would ever be 'snogging' anyone behind the bicycle sheds" Mrs Patmore laughed

"He isn't a stranger to romance Mrs Patmore, maybe he is now but he wasn't always" Han informed her in a serious tone making Kay nearly fall off her stool with laughter "Come on Aphrodite" she said as she wiped away her tears of laughter "let's stop stealing Mr Carson's lines and go and explore upstairs"

"But-"

"No buts. I've always wanted to do gymnastics in that huge entrance hall and you have to come and watch." Kay insisted grabbing her hand and dragging her along

"What on earth for?" Queried Han

"Because someone has to be a witness. Else no one one will ever believe me. Then again, no one will believe me anyway!" They made their way up the stairs with Mrs Patmore following made a clear path in the hall moving tables that, in her opinion, were completely unnecessary and just in her way.

"Kailyn you cannot go around rearranging people's furniture just because you want to do gymnastics!" Han protested loudly

"The family is away" Kay said "and I'm sure Mrs Patmore won't tell."  
Kay stepped back and did a small run up before throwing her hands onto the ground as if to do a cartwheel and pushed of as soon as she was in a side-handstand.

"I can't watch" muttered Mrs Patmore "She's going to put her joints out" and with that she dissapeared back to the kitchen. As Kay's feet touched the ground she jumped into the air, flipped backwards placing her hands on the ground and pushing back up. She landed with a loud thud as she landed on her butt. Never the less, Kay was grinning

"Yes! Did it without a spot" she whooped and then went into a backbend and kicked her legs over her head. Clapping with joy..

"What on earth is going on here?" An imperious voice sounded from the front door. Both girls whipped round to discover Carson and The Dowager countess standing there with horrified looks on their faces.

"Well Kay, of all the ways you could meet Violet Crawley you have to do it by doing bendy things in her entrance hall." Han said sarcastically.

"Carson what are these creatures and as the brunette one pointed out why are they doing bendy things in my entrance hall?" Violet asked waving her stick in their general direction.

"GRANNY!" Exclaimed Kay and started running towards her as if to give her a hug but Han grabbed her by the elbow and yanked her backwards. "Kay you may not tackle The Dowager with a hug nice as they are. You'll break her." she insisted not relinquishing her hold on her friend. Kay pouted

"But-"

"No buts. Now I'm going to let you go but you have to give your parabatai word that you'll behave like a lady."

"Fine" grumbled Kay, crossing her arms in front of her. "word of parabatai honor." Han then slowly released her friend and stepped backwards, watching her carefully. "Carson..wha...what is a parabartai?" Violet asked glancing from the two girls towards him. "It mean soul sister or brother. Not blood related but only because our mothers would never have coped with us at all if we were real sisters" Kay explained, slightly bored now.

"Heavens, that sounds more complicated than Mathew's swivel chair." Violet said "but that still doesn't explain what you're doing in my entrance hall."  
"Now that's a good question " Han said, looking at Kay. Kay hid behind Han , she stood on her toes to look over Hans shoulder and stuck her tongue out

"You just said what I was doing! Bendy things! " Kay said. Han shook her head and pushed Kay's hands off of her shoulders "Kay dear, I don't think that's what she meant" Granny stood in slight shock then turned to Carson

"Robert better have a very good explanation for this. Even Rosamund has never done anything this wild before."

"He has two teenage girls as guests in his home" Han pointed out "how is that wild?"

Violet eyed before of them carefully before turning back to the butler

"Carson, I need a drink."

**Sooooo reviews are loved to infinity and back! What do you guys want to have happen? **


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you all for your reviews, they really mean a lot to us. This chapter is slightly different, being more about Banna and Chelsie than the two nut case girls. **

John Bates was watching his wife with a small smile on his face. She was trying to convince Daisy that the two new girls were not all that scary and to be perfectly honest she was failing miserably. Han and Kay had been at Downton just over three days now and had caused merry hell with their modern ways. Mr Carson had nearly gone into cardiac arrest when he had walked into the library to discover both of them curled up with their feet under them each with a their nose stuck in a book.  
"Come on Daisy, I'm sure if you just talked to them you'd see they're a lot like you." she coaxed gently but the young girl just shook her head  
"They must be scared, being so far from home. I'm sure they'd like to talk to someone their own age." she tried again but Daisy was not interested.  
"I'm afraid she's fighting a losing battle there." Mrs Hughes commented, coming up behind him and stopping briefly to watch Anna manipulate the assistant cook  
"I have to agree with Daisy though, they are a bit scary when they go 'aww' whenever I look at Anna" John complained though the soft smile remained on his face.  
"Even I want to go 'aww' whenever you look at Anna" scoffed Mrs Hughes "and I've heard Thomas make retching noises before now."  
"What about you and Mr Carson?" Mr Bates countered "they're convinced there's something between you. Anna said he nearly had a stroke the day they arrived thanks to their comments."  
"What comments?" Mrs Hughes asked curiously .  
"They teased him about wanting to kiss you." he explained "I'm surprised he didn't tell you."  
Mrs Hughes rolled her eyes  
"Be off with you, you cheeky devil" she scoffed before hurrying away herself.  
'Was she blushing'? Wondered Mr Bates as he went back to quietly observing his wife. Perhaps the two girls had a point, Mr Carson had always been very protective of Mrs Hughes; never allowing her to lift heavy things and getting worried if she was back late from the village even if it was only five minutes late. They'd always had an unspoken agreement about everything and they could read one another like a book. She never pushed him too far out of his comfort zone and he trusted her in ways he trusted no one else. He let his walls down for her, when ever they were alone.  
Then there was the way they looked at one another, full of adoration, warmth, trust and love. Neither of them were aware that their gazes changed when they fell on one another but now that John thought about it the way they looked at one another was the same way he looked at Anna. He might be tempted to go 'aww' himself next time it happened.  
"Penny for your thoughts?" Anna asked, giving up on a stubborn Daisy and walking over to her husband  
"I think those two have a point. There is something between Carson and Hughes." John explained  
"Oh? What makes you say that?" Anna inquired with a cheeky grin. She had said that all her time at Downton  
"He looks at her the same way I look at you." John said softly stroking her cheek. However before she could respond the dinner gong went and they both had to hurry away.  
**)0(**  
Why hadn't Mr Carson told her about that conversation? Surely he hadn't taken it personally, they were only two girls who had silly ideas of romance in their heads. Surely he hadn't forgotten about when Lady Sybil had sent her a rose and had written on the card 'I luv you. Mister Carson.' It did explain why he was in such a snappish mood around her recently, taking her head off for everything and now that she thought about it he only seemed to do it when the two girls were around.  
"What's the matter with you?" Mr Carson snapped, rounding the corner at a great speed, nearly knocking her off her feet.  
"Slow down." she scolded "nothing is the matter. Why do you ask?" He relented and slowed his pace.  
"I'm sorry" he said, hanging his head and softening his tone "it's just that your colours up a bit"  
Her cheeks burned an even deeper shade of red at his words, a detail he was ashamed to admit he'd noticed  
"Mr Bates was just telling me about an interesting conversation you had with the two lasses on the day they arrived" she told him with a teasing smile. He avoided her gaze and scratched his ear uncomfortably  
"I'm sorry you had to hear that" he said, shuffling his feet  
"Why? It's just two girls who have read too many novels." she laughed but he seemed to only get even more uncomfortable.  
"Yes, yes, of course." he muttered  
""Mr Carson are you sure you're all right?" she asked, stepping up to him and putting a hand on his cheek to feel his temperature.  
"What if I were to tell you-" However before he could finished the sentence he was interrupted by some very off-key singing.  
**When you see my face hope it gives you hell! hope it gives you hell! When you walk my way hope it gives you hell! Hope it gives you hell!**  
"What in god's name is that?" he thundered loudly, annoyed at being interrupted  
"I think it's the two girls." Mrs Hughes said, cocking her head to the side in order to listen more carefully.  
**These are the things! The things we lost! The things we lost in the** **fire fire fire!**  
"Fire!" exclaimed Mr Carson striding around her and heading down the corridor towards the buckets of sand. But before he could get there the two girls came hurtling down the stairs  
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Kay asked Mr Carson as he sped past her  
"To put out the fire." He snapped  
"What fire?" asked Hannah, looking towards Mrs Hughes for answers  
"The one you were shouting about!" he explained, finally reaching a bucket and yanking the lid off  
"Wait!" Hannah called "that was a song! There is no fire!"  
"Wow Han, our singing is worse than we thought." Kay said calmly, as though she was observing the sky.  
"Which is saying something considering we never thought we were good." Hannah finished with a sideways glance at her friend.  
"What are you two doing down here anyway?" Mrs Hughes asked "you're supposed to be with Anna in the blue room."  
"We are?" the two girls asked at once, looking highly confused.  
"Damn Thomas." Mr Carson muttered, earning him a surprised glance from everyone. "he was supposed to tell you."  
"Tell us what exactly?" Han asked in suspicion  
"You're dining with the family tonight."  
Kay lept of the stairs and did a cart-wheel, which lead to her hitting her foot on a nearby table and gracefully landing on her butt. Han rolled her eyes at her overly hyperactive parabatai and turned her attention to the house keeper and butler. "are we really? I wonder why Thomas didn't tell us!" she turned to Kay, who was now lying down and smiling at the bottom of the table "Kay dear, do get up! I understand we have a dinner to go to!"  
Kay jumped up and skipped to the three of them. "Indeed we do, come along Hannable" she said, wrapping an arm around Hans shoulder, which was slightly awkward as Kay had to stand on her toes to do so. Mrs Hughes stopped them "Wait a minute you can not possibly go dressed in those...those..."  
"tank tops?" Kay said helpfully. Mrs Hughes looked at her then nodded slightly "We must have something you can wear!"  
"I ain't wearing no corset!" Kay said and Han nodded in agreement "unless you still have that lovely pants/dress Sybil wore, I am going like this!" Kay said. Both of the girls turned around and walked to the blue room.

"Hold on a minute." Mr Carson called "The Dowager is dining here tonight"

"Yeah and?" Han asked raising an eyebrow. Here Mr Carson seemed to lose his temper

"I will NOT have you wearing tank tops while the Dowager is in residence! It was bad enough having you do bendy things in the entrance hall. Go to Anna so she can find you something to wear AT ONCE!" He ordered

"Yes Mr Carson" the two girls said demurely before scurrying away as fast as their legs would carry them although Mrs Hughes swore she heard them collapse into giggles just as they got to the top of the stairs.

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	6. Chapter 6

**Alright beloved friends, please join me in wish my co-writer Kay a very happy belated birthday! Also, good luck for her gymnastics nationals this Friday! **

"Kay, I feel like Elizabeth Swann" Han whispered to her friend as they stood next to one another in the drawing-room waiting for the family to join them.

"Who?" Kay asked, shooting her friend a confused look

"Elizabeth Swann. From the pirate movies."

"Oh right. Okay, I'll play. How so Han dear?" Kay asked with a sweet smile.

"I can't damn well breath." Han responded with a wince "this thing is the work of the devil. How do they spend all day in this?"

The two girls had duly done as they were told and had met Anna in the blue room. Here they had found an assortment of dresses and, much to their horror, two corsets. Han had gallantly offered to go first and while she was being forced into the vise like grip of the offending garment, Kay had proceeded to sweet talk Anna into letting her go without one.

"Oh come on Anna, you have to admit that I don't really need one." Kay said in her most persuasive tone, accompanied by her best puppy eyes "I mean, look at this posture. You don't get better posture than that."

"Lady Mary told me to make sure you were properly dressed. Her ladyship wasn't happy about you doing bendy things in the hall" Anna said with a slight grin

"Yes but, neither of them will know whether I'm wearing a corset or not" wheedled Kay "unless they're planning on making me strip on the dinner table which I can assure you I would object strongly to." Anna suppressed a giggle

"Don't let Mr Carson hear you say that" she advised "I don't think he'd cope."

"Pleeeeeeaaaaassseeeee Anna, sweet Anna, lovely Anna, beautiful Anna, kind, caring don't force people into corsets Anna" pleaded Kay

"Oh very well" she relented "but only because we're running late and I don't have time to argue with you. Now, try this on."

"You should have refused like I did" Kay said un sympathetically, twisting a long necklace around her fingers

"Don't break that" Han said "and you didn't refuse, you begged and sweet talked poor Anna into letting you go without."

"Dis die selfter" Kay grinned "I wish they'd hurry up, I'm starving."

"I don't think I have any space for food" Han moaned "thank the gods we were born in the 21st century."

"Cheers to that" Kay agreed, miming lifting a glass in Hans direction just as the family poured in.

"Robert, I simply do not understand why they are here." The Dowager was saying as they came through the door

"Neither do I mama, but we can't be rude" he replied "besides, who knows what they might do if we ask them to leave."

"What are they expecting? The cruciatus curse?" Kay muttered under her breath, just loud enough that Han could hear.

"Good evening" Han said pleasantly, resisting the urge to curtsy

"I'm glad Anna found you something to wear. We weren't sure if we had something that would fit" Lady Grantham said pleasantly with a smile

"Yes she was most helpful." Han replied

"Why are we clothing them? Surely they brought their own? It's understandable to travel without a maid but without clothes? Heavens" The Dowager intoned in her usual snooty way as she perched on her chair, stick by her side."

"Our modern clothes have come with us but we don't own any formal er Downton clothes." Han explained. Strangely enough this was true. Every morning when the girls woke up they found another set of their own clothes to wear, much to their relief.

"You should have heard the scene yesterday when Han discovered she'd been sent a frightful jersey to wear" Kay piped up "talk about a drama queen."

"It wasn't that I didn't want to wear it." Han said irritated "it was that it was holey. You cannot wear a holey jersey at Downton."

"Well then why don't you throw it out?" Kay asked, raising an eyebrow while the rest of the family looked as though they were watching a tennis match.

"Its comfortable" Han shrugged "anyway" she added, turning back to the Crawley's "thank you for the loan of these."

"Would you like a drink?" Robert Crawley offered gesturing towards a bottle of scotch

"Yes please" Kay said with a grin

"No she doesn't." Han insisted, glaring at her friend "you're fifteen Kay."

"Spoil sport" she muttered, stubbing her toe against the carpet "sounds like someone needs a drink."

Lord Grantham handed Kay a glass, not hearing Han. Kay drank it slowly and stuck her tongue out to her parabatai.

Han rolled her eyes and declined the drink that was offered.

"Oh, by the way, we will be having a singer come tomorrow night" Lady Grantham said. "You will be expected to join us."

"I hope you two will not cause even more trouble" the Dowager looked at the two girls.

"Never, Granny!" Kay said

"Wouldn't dream of it!" Han said at the same time.

"But first, dinner time!" Lord Grantham added as Carson came in and nodded. Han moaned softly and Kay held back a snort of laughter.

"What is this I hear you've given Carson a hard time?" Mary asked with a small smirk as they all dug into their soup

"Who told you that?" Han asked, turning faintly pink

"Anna. Something about Mrs Hughes apparently."

"Carson? What are they talking about?" The Dowager asked turning to look at the butler who was standing behind them.

"It is their belief that Mrs Hughes and I are involved romantically" he explained in a somber tone

"Are you?" The Dowager asked, raising one eyebrow. Carson hesitated before answering

"No mi'lady"

"That is not what I said!" Han protested "I merely said that you should be involved romantically!"

"Servants are not permitted to be in a romantic relationship. Carson here knows that"

"Are they not allowed to have lives?" Kay asked innocently

"Of course they are. When they're off duty." The dowager replied, turning back to her soup.

"I'm sure that if Carson were to marry Mrs Hughes it wouldn't affect his work or hers. They're professionals!" Han argued "be honest Carson, do you love her? Because she won't be around forever."

"That's enough." Lord Grantham interrupted before Carson could reply "else I will have to ban you from coming tomorrow night."

"But-"

"Han" Kay said "shut up and eat your soup. Before Granny throws the salt at you."

"Does she think I'll melt?" Han fumed at her soup

"Will you?" The dowager asked from the other side of the table

"No" Han replied with a smile before muttering under her breath "she's got hearing like a bat"

"And a tongue as sharp as my knife." Kay said. Han look at Kay side ways "what knife?" She asked.

"The knife my dad got me! " Kay said sweetly then turned to Mary "Mary, are you still sulking over Mathew?" The whole table looked up

"I do not think that is a good subject! " Lord Grantham snapped. Kay rolled her eyes "it has been months. Listen, I understand how you feel. After all I have had people close to me die too but come on. Edith doesn't have it much better! And think about poor Tom!"

Mary looked at her in shock and Granny looked between Mary and Kay.

"She's right you know" Granny said causing both girls to look at her in shock

"I refuse to listen to this" Mary snapped, throwing down her napkin and leaving the room. Granny watched her go before commenting

"Well, this is one of the most entertaining dinner parties I've ever attended"

**We are literally begging for reviews! We also apologize for being such awful updaters. **


	7. Chapter 7

**I seem to be in a really bad habit of taking forever to update. I'm so so sorry! But Kay has been on Holiday and I'm on holiday at the moment so its all due to lack of time. We're really sorry! We hope you enjoy this chapter! **

"Do you think if I ask really really nicely they'll let me take this dress home with me?" Han asked her friend, spinning around to show off what she was wearing.

"No" Kay replied "and we have no idea when we're going home so there is no point asking. Do you have any idea who this singer is that we're being forced to listen to?"

"You're not being forced!" Han protested loudly "besides, I think it'll be fun."

"Fun?" Echoed Kay "fun is going to see a movie with all your friends and family followed by ice cream and or pizza. Listening to someone sing opera? Not so much."

"Well I'm more than willing to fill in the friend and family bit" Han replied "and just pretend you're watching a movie about a opera singer"

"Are you two ready?" Mrs Hughes called from outside the door "they're waiting for you"

"Tell them they can wait" Kay muttered.

"Kailyn!" Han scolded, widening her eyes at her friend "we're just coming Mrs Hughes."

They stepped out of the room to find a very stressed looking house keeper

"Are you quite alright Mrs Hughes?" Han asked, touching the woman's shoulder

"Perfectly" she answered "its just Mr Carson is being particularly silly tonight."

"How so?" Kay inquired, looking at the house keeper with a concerned frown on her face

"I won't bore you with the details"

"No but you'll bore me with opera" Kay muttered under her breath before wincing as her friend elbowed her none too gently

They stepped into the room that was crowed with all too many posh people for Kay's liking. Han looked around and frowned, clearly trying to place which episode they were put into. Kay looked at her parabatai

"is it...it can't be"

"Oh I think it can" Han replied. The two girls sat at the back close to Bates and Anna.

The opera Singer was louder than they could have imagined

"Oh lord. Please make it stop." Kay muttered "Just put on one direction. Five seconds of summer. Nickleback... greenday? " she said a little loudly, making a few people give her very confused and rather annoyed looks. Han looked down at Kay "will you shut up? If we have our episodes right we won't be here for much longer" Kay sighed and crossed her arms. Han shook her head. She wasn't enjoying the opera either but she wasn't going to be rude about it.

Anna stood up and said something to Bates then walked out, quickly followed by Green. Kay and Han looked at each other and they jumped up as quick as they could.

Han grabbed Carson and dragged him along, "what on earth are you doing Miss Hannah!" Carson whispered loudly, tugging his arm away "don't ask questions." Han replied grabbing him again and pulling him towards the door like a determined toddler

Kay watched Bates to make sure he stayed put, which he did. They couldn't have a murder on their hands.

Han looked back at Kay and jerked her head towards the door as if to say 'come along' all the while clinging on to Carson's arm as he tried in vain to get away. Kay quickly glanced at Bates who still seemed oblivious to what was going on, swore under her breath, and hurried after her friend.

"Come along Pond" Kay muttered under her breath, she let out a fangirl laugh but shook her head quite aware this was no time for Doctor Who references.

Lord Grantham turned in time to see them all vanish through the door way and frowned

"What's the matter?" Lady Grantham asked catching sight of the look on her husbands face

"Hannah and Kailyn just vanished, I hope they're staying out of trouble."

"I'm sure they'll be just fine" she replied.

"Hurry hurry hurry!" Han said dragging poor Carson down a flight of stairs faster than what was classified as safe.

"What on earth-" Carson started to say but Kay interrupted him

"You can ask questions later" she snapped "but for once in your life will you just trust someone!"

Before Carson could reply a scream reached their ears

"Aw hell" Han and Kay said loudly and started pulling Carson even faster down the stairs.

They ran into the boot room with all three of them panting. Carson seemed more out of breath than the two young girls

"what is the meaning of th-" he started to say but stopped when the sound of a scuffle sounded from one of the dark corners. All three of them turned towards the corner to find Mr Green holding Anna down. Carson ran and with strength no one would have thought he had, he pulled Mr Green up and away from Anna, slamming him into the wall.

"Get out, Mr Green." Carson spat, shoving him towards the door "and I hope, for your sake, I never see your face in this house again"

Han and Kay moved away from the door and glared at the man as Carson attempted to get him through the door. Green struggled and wrenched himself free from Carson's grip

Clearly Mr Green had too much to drink because he thought throwing a punch at Carson would be a good idea. Unfortunately for Green his balance was off and Carson managed to grab his hand and land a punch to the mans jaw, sending him spinning

"Of course it wouldn't be that easy." He growled

Han nodded as Carson took hold of Mr Greens shoulders and pushed him towards the counter. "Never thought Carson would know how to fight" Kay muttered

"Let's get Anna! " Han said, running forwards , going the other way to where Carson and Mr Green were. Kay snuck a look at them and hoped Mr Carson would take Mr Green out. Kay jumped onto the table and slid across to the side where Han and Anna were. Anna gasped softly as they put her arms over their shoulders and lifted her up. Carson had Mr Green by the back of his collar and was busy hauling him outside.

"Let's take her to Mrs Hughes sitting room" Han said glancing worridedly at Anna who was trembling like a leaf

"Good idea" Kay answered "Carson, lock him up somewhere and phone the police please"

Together they guided Anna out of the room and into Mrs Hughes's room where they plopped her on a chair.

"I'm going to run and fetch Mrs Hughes and a blanket or something" Han said softly before disappearing out of the door.

"This sounds stupid to ask I know" Kay said softly but are you alright?"

Anna nodded before bursting into tears and hugging herself. Kay hurried over and hugged her gently

**Please review and let us know your thoughts! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, I had to force my co-writer to stay awake to finish this before she vanishes on me again. Hope you guys enjoy! **

"The police will be here shortly" Lord Grantham told Carson and Han quietly, as they stood outside Mrs Hughes's sitting room door.

"I'll let them know" Han said turning towards the door but she was held back by Mr Carson's hand on her elbow.

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier" he said "I should have trusted you two and not made such a fuss."

"You probably thought we were being very rude" Han said with a small smile "its okay. You more than made up for it with that punch. Even Ali would have been impressed."

"I'm afraid I don't know who that is milady, but I'm glad I could be of help." Carson replied, his ears going pink. Han smiled and gently patted his arm before opening the door and slipping inside.

"How are you?" She asked softly, closing the door behind her.

"I think she's in shock." Kay answered for her "did you bring the blanket?"

"Right here." Han said handing the blanket to Kay who wrapped it around Anna. "No surprise that she is in shock though." Han looked at Anna "The police are on their way." She added.

"Thank heavens for that" Mrs Hughes said, coming into the room with a tea tray.

"Kay" Han said "might I have a word with you outside please?"

"Fine" Kay sighed and clambered to her feet

"What?" She asked as the door closed behind them.

"The police are coming" Han started

"No! Really?" Kay answered sarcastically , rolling her eyes.

"Meaning we cannot be modern." Han hissed "we have to act as 1920 as possible"

"What on earth for?" Kay asked, folding her arms in front of her and leaning against the door. Han sighed heavily and rubbed her temple

"Because Kay dear, if we start going on about wi-fi, DVDs, and I-pads we will be thrown into a mad house faster than you can say 'Downton Abbey'"

"Uhh I don't use ipads. I use a tablet." Kay pointed out. Her friend looked sharply at Kay, shaking her head and rolled her eyes. Kay rolled her eyes at Han in response then groaned as she realize her parabatai was probably right.

"Fine" Kay said "How's this?"

She then proceeded to walk along the passage way, arms held slightly aloft and head held high.

"Oh my dear Lord Whatsit. So charmed to see you again, it has been far too long. Why yes, I would care for a cup of tea thank you so much for offering." She said in a very high and posh tone of voice. She held her hand out to be kissed by the imaginary lord in front of her.

"Han I wonder if I might ask-" Mrs Hughes started to say coming out of the door behind them before catching sight of Kay and breaking off

"What on earth is she doing?" She asked

"Apparently she's being a 1920's lady, and appears to be dining with someone called Lord Whatsit." Han explained "how can I help Mrs Hughes?"

"...and how is dear Molly? I do hope her chest isn't still ailing her?" Kay intoned from the background. Mrs Hughes shot her a very strange look before continuing

"I wondered what I am supposed to do with Mr Bates? His Lordship has managed to contain him but he wants to see Anna"

"Get him to wait until Green has been taken away" Han advised "then we'll get Anna cleaned up a little first."

"Alright then" Mrs Hughes nodded before looking sheepishly at Han from under her eyelashes "is it true that Mr Carson hit him?" She asked

"Sir, these crumpets are superb!" Kay flung her arms over her head, clearly not noticing the fact that Han was no longer paying attention and was in a conversation with Mrs Hughes.

"He was amazing Mrs Hughes" Han grinned "you would have been so proud."

"Oh get away with you, you cheeky devil" Mrs Hughes blushed and quickly disappeared around the corner.

"There. How was that?" Kay asked coming back to Han.

"I think if we get questioned, I should do the talking." Kay rolled her eyes again "and if you roll those eyes anymore you'll end up un screwing them and instead of being half blind, you'll be completely blind" Han said. Kay let out a small laugh then skipped along and did a twirl to face her parabatai. "Oh my dear Hannable, do come with thyself so thy can be tamed " Kay said grinning.

"I said 1920s, not medieval! Heavens. Perhaps we SHOULD lock you away" Han said, although she could not hide her smile. Then she sighed "I suppose the police will be here soon. Should we stay with Anna?"

"No, I told you!" Han snapped "We over heard Anna say she had a headache and we went to check on her. Carson was coming down to fetch more tea."

"And you're absolutely sure it was Green who harmed her?" The policeman asked, looking up from his notebook.

"Positive! Mr Green was the man Carson pulled off the poor girl. You have three witnesses who can testify to that. Do me a goddamn favor and arrest the man so we can all put this behind us!"

"Hannah, calm down." Kay said patting her friends hand and trying to stop herself giggling, she was never any good in serious moments.

"I will when he stops asking ridiculous questions and does his job" Han fumed folding her arms.

The sergeant gave her a weary look before snapping his notebook shut dramatically.

"Right." He said "I think we have enough. I'll take him down to the station."

"I'll show you the way" Carson offered and directed the man to the door.

"What happened to 'let me do the talking because I know how to behave'?" Kay asked with a raised eyebrow

"Oh shut up" Han snapped. Kay lifted her hands up in front of her in defense.

"You heard the ridiculous questions he was asking." Han complained.

"I know" Kay sighed and stretched her arms above her head. "Come on, let's go to bed."

"But what about Anna?" Han asked, barely stifling a yawn herself

"Bates is with her" Kay told her "she won't want us."

Han shook her head and muttered something about cops being just as useless here as they are in the modern times.

As the girls made their way upstairs Mrs Hughes came up behind them. "Girls! Girls! " she called out to them. Han and Kay turned around and looked at her. "Yes?" Han asked.

Mrs Hughes sighed "Anna and Bates want to talk to you" she said, turning around. The girls looked at each other then followed.

Anna and Bates were where they left them earlier on before the police arrived. Kay sat down on the floor and looked up and everyone else, not even bothering with a chair. Han pulled up a chair, being more polite than Kay.

"We want to thank you girls. " Bates said while Anna nodded at them.

"With out you..." He shook his head and took a breath "who knows what would have happened"

"Well we do" Kay started " Anna would have been mentally destroyed and I would have cried. Then she would have gone to Hughes and...ow!" she moaned as her parabatai hit her on the head. "Shut it, Kailyn. " Han commanded. Kay crossed her arms. "Uh. Anyway " Bates look down at Kay, then back at Han. "Thank you, for alerting Carson " Bates said. Anna smiled at the girls. "Well. If that's all. May I leave thou and retreat to thy chamber?" Kay asked. "Medieval again " Han muttered. Then turned her attention to Bates and Anna

"We would never let anything like that happen to you, Anna. And I hope the ghastly Green rots away in prison." She said bitterly. "Sleep well, Anna. Goodnight, Bates "

**Please review and let us know your thoughts :) we love hearing from all you fabulous people!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Bit of a filler chapter, still we hope its entertaining. Enjoy! **

"Seven hells, seven hells, oh seven hells!" Han murmured very fast, clutching onto her parabatai's hand tightly "oh why didn't we go with Branson?"

"Because we didn't want to hurt Edith's feelings" Kay replied glancing over to see if Edith could hear them.

"Stop being knowledgeable and make her slow down" Han responded hysterically. Just at that point they reached a curve on the road, which Edith whizzed round a lot faster than either of the two girls would have recommended

"I'm going to be sick" Han groaned and Kay looked around in alarm

"By the angel I hope not!" She muttered and reached over and patted Edith's arm.

"Edith, please slow down." She pleaded "before Han ruins the cars upholstery."

"We're nearly there" Edith replied but eased her foot off the accelerator after catching sight of Han's green face "do you usually get motion sickness?" She asked kindly

"Only in traffic or high speeds" Han replied weakly "or when there's a lunatic at the wheel" she added very quietly

"I wouldn't recommend ever going on a boat then" Edith quipped

"I wasn't intending to."

"Where exactly are we going?" Kay asked now that Han seemed to be recovering

"There's a lovely picnic spot at the other end of the village" Edith explained "Mrs Hughes and Anna thought you might like to see it and have luncheon there"

"That was nice of them. What's for lunch?" Kay asked while Han started to roll her eyes but stopped immediately

"I'm not sure" Edith laughed "we'll have to wait and see."

"So Edith, are you still writing articles?" Han asked, trying to distract herself

"Oh yes, I'm writing one at the moment on what happened to Anna. Not using her name of course but I think people should know about these things don't you?"

"Absolutely" Kay agreed "maybe then people will be on the look out and people like Mr Green will die out."

"I don't think they'll die out" Han said "but I certainly hope we can put them all behind bars."

"Hear hear" Edith said before doing another death-defying turn and coming to a halt behind the other two cars.

"We're here" she announced and Han hurriedly bolted from the car. Kay followed at a more relaxed pace. The place where they had come to was absolutely beautiful with a merry little stream, large willow trees and a rolling expanse of lawn.

"Wow" Han breathed before a blur of a Kay flew past her.

"What on earth?" Asked Edith, coming up behind Han as Kay ran away from them

"Don't ask" Han advised as Kay did a gallop jump into a leap and fell backwards into a back bend then kicked over. Edith watched in alarm as Kay ended up upside down, waving her heels in the air.

"Is she quite alright?" She asked

"No. She's as mad as a march hare" Han replied "Kay come here and stop scaring the family." She called and Kay slowly returned to them grumbling softly under breath. "It's like a street show! Nothing wrong with that!"

Edith looked at Han

"Can you do those things too? " she asked. Kay burst out laughing and ended up on the floor. Han shook her head

"Not a chance! If I were to try, I'd break my neck. I'm amazed that Kay is still alive."

Kay was still lying on the floor when she spoke "so uh I was promised food?"

"You'll have to get up then" Han said offering her hand "because I'm not bringing it to you"

"Spoil sport" Kay muttered as Han hauled her to her feet. They then followed Edith around a corner to find the rest of the family all seated around tables, while Mosley and Thomas poured out lemonade

"You bring tables to a picnic?" Han asked, blinking in surprise.

"Of course" Edith said "where else would we eat?"

"You're supposed to eat sitting on the floor" Kay exclaimed "otherwise you're just having a meal outdoors.

"At most you could have a table to put the dishes on" Han continued "but you're supposed to eat balancing your plate on your knee."

"Or lying on someone's lap while they feed you" Kay finished. Han slowly turned her head to stare at her friend in amazement

"Just what have you been reading?" She asked, raising her eyebrow

"Nothing!" Kay defended herself "I just thought it would be fun for Carson and Hughes to try."

Han smiled at that thought

"Well, perhaps we should show our Downton friends how to truly have a picnic!" Han said.

"But surely our dresses would be ruined? " Mary asked. Now they had the full families attention. "Nah " Kay said simply and picked up two platters off the table "everyone, grab as much as you can. Then we'll take the table clothes off and use them on the floor" Han ordered.

"This does seem most improper!" Granny protested, but it was too late. The rest of the family had already taken stuff off and Han pulled the table-cloth off and placed it on the floor.

"I cannot eat anymore" Han groaned, lying on the ground with her eyes closed.

"I can." Kay countered sitting up and helping herself to another biscuit

"No surprise there" Han muttered in return earning herself a sharp elbow in the ribs.

"You two amaze me" Granny announced from her deck chair which Tom had found in the back of his car. Han opened her eyes and blinked at her

"Thank you very much" she said with a smile

"What are your plans for tomorrow?" Mary asked

"I said I'd take them round the estate" Tom told her

"And Mrs Patmore said I can help her cook tomorrow night." Kay intoned

"I plan on working on chelsie" Han said "I'm tired of watching them revolve around one another."

Kay groaned

"Can't we just have one day where you don't try to get them together?"

Edith looked at them

"Chelsie? " she asked.

"Hughes and Carson's ship name" Han and Kay said together.

"Ship name?" Mary asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yes. Ship name, as in those two best suck it up and get married in no less than a week" Han said sharply. Kay laughed

"Like I used to ship Thomas with Miss O'Brien. Then she ran off and Thomas turned out to be- " Han shut her parabatai up by shoving her shoulder and giving her the "I don't think they know that" look. Kay sat back up and ate another biscuit instead of talking about poor gay Thomas.

"Hughes and Carson... oh Sybil would have loved that" Branson said solemnly.

"I remember Sybil come running into the play room when she was about four years old telling us that Carson loved Mrs Hughes." Mary told them all "Edith and I then spun all sorts of fairy tales and even used to follow them around spying on them."

"Did you ever see anything?" Kay asked

"No, but it kept us entertained for months."

"Damn" Han muttered "well hopefully that'll change soon."

"I doubt it" Granny sniffed "I have never met a man more stubborn than Carson."

"You've clearly never met my dad" Kay muttered.

"Well, we will change it! Just you watch! Of course...It'll be easier if you guys help" Han looked at Mary and Edith with puppy dog eyes. "Well life has been rather boring before you two arrived. Perhaps this will be another challenge."

"Is this what you do in the future? " Granny asked "ship two people together then try to actually get them together? " Han and Kay nodded.

"Sometimes I ship one person with two people " Kay put in. Granny looked at her with horror.

Han stood up and dusted off any crumbs. "Well it's been a fun day, but it would seem the sun is going down. So if I may be so rude, perhaps we should be going home?"

"I have to stop in the village for something" Edith said

"That's alright, I'll take them." Branson offered kindly and Edith smiled gratefully

"Perfect!" Han exclaimed leaping to her feet "I'll meet you at the car."

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	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! We hope you're still enjoying the story. No Han or Kay in this chapter, we thought we'd touch base with our OTPs. Enjoy! **

She was walking away from him. Or was she leading him forward? He didn't know. Why was it he never knew what she was thinking? Why were they always having ridiculous spats recently? She glances over her shoulder and smirks slightly

"Come along then." She orders and he follows. Just like he always will, whether she knows it or not. Finally, she comes to a stop, leaning against a tree on the edge of the woods. The sun filters through the trees and dapples her skin. He has never seen her look so beautiful, so at ease.

"Mr Carson" she says softly, smiling up at him. He leans closer until he can smell her perfume. Lavender he notes

"Mr Carson" she repeats, louder and more urgently

"Hmph?" He jerks awake and hits her head with his own as he sits up

"Ouch!" She exclaimed rubbing her forehead and glaring at him reproachfully.

"I do apologize Mrs Hughes." He said "are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine thanks" she says still rubbing her head "its my own fault, I shouldn't have lent over you like that."

"Out of interest, why were you leaning over me like that?" He asked standing up and gently taking her arm to pull her hand away from her head. She flinched a little as he did so and avoided his gaze

"Its nearly time for the family to be home. They uh said they'd be back before the gong."

"I see. Thank you. Do you want me to ask Mrs Patmore for some ice for that?" He asked, his eyes lingering on her forehead, his hand still carefully holding her wrist.

"No thank you" she smiled softly "its quite alright now."

"Are you sure? Mrs Patmore often tells me I have a very hard head."

Mrs Hughes laughes

"Quite sure thank you. Now, you must let me get on."

And just like that she's left the room, leaving him grasping at thin air.

"Charles." He said to himself, flicking open his wine ledger and picking up his pen "you're a bloody fool."

Mrs Hughes shut the door behind her and lent against the wall, letting out a whoosh of air as she did so. Her mind was galloping along like a race horse and she needed a few minutes to calm down. She was all for change and new things but ever since the two girls had arrived her world had spun out of control to such a state she could barely catch her breath. In less than a week old memories had come to the surface. Memories of a love she had given up on. A love she had buried deep within herself because no one could ever know. Least of all him. If he found out about the dreams and thoughts that flew around her head on a daily basis he would never be able to get over the shock. But she couldn't lie to herself any longer. She loved him. Always had and always will. She could tell herself over and over again that she didn't love him, that it was a young girl who thought she knew what love was that had loved him and that was over. The love had died and friends they'd become. She glanced down at her long, shaky fingers. Ringless. Always had been and always will be. Because the man she loved, loved another. And her name was duty. Duty to the house, duty to the family, duty to the silver in the silver cupboard. So even though she loved him, he could never know. Because when duty is your mistress there is no room for anyone or anything else. Mrs Hughes walked away to get ready for the families arrival, although she couldn't shake off what just happened. What on earth was Carson dreaming about? She supposed it wasn't really any of her business but even then she was still curious to know.

"Mrs Hughes, are you alright?" Mrs Patmore asked as she passed the kitchen door. She drew herself upright shook her head slightly

"Just tired Mrs Patmore, just tired"

Bates was polishing shoes. He never seemed to stop working, which Anna supposed was something to admire, but sometimes she wished he would take a break and relax. Actually talk to her about something other than work. She had always known it would be hard, working in Downton and being married. Of course it would be. The family always had to come first, hats and shoes would always come before headaches or heartaches. But they found ways to work around it, because she did love John and she would do anything for him. How she wished he had been the one to pull Green off her but at the same time she was glad that he hadn't seen it.

He had a temper and honestly she couldn't have him back in prison, she didn't think she could handle it, he was her life. Now the modern girls were here and they had away of doing things that intrigued Anna. It kept her up at night, wondering what they'll do next, if there were anymore disasters they would stop. But whenever she mentioned them to John he didn't ever want to talk about it. Or maybe he was just too busy to.

"Mr Bates..." Anna said. He looked up from his shoe polishing job and gave Anna a small smile "Anna..." he answered.

"The family will be home soon, do you suppose Lady Mary will let me play dress up with the girls again?" She asked hopefully. Mr Bates chuckled

"What is it with your interest in these crazy girls? Other than the fact that they are quite entertaining."

"They did help me, John. Besides , they know things that are going to happen before it happens. Don't you find that interesting? Wouldn't you like to know what will happen next week? " Anna asked. Sometimes she couldn't help get excited like she was still a little girl, Oh, how she envied Daisy. Sometimes.

John paused on top of the stairs and rubbed his knee, groaning softly as he did so. His leg had been acting up again recently, which was making the stairs quite difficult. He daren't let Anna see he was in pain though, because he knew that she would worry herself into a state.

Sweet Anna, sometimes he wondered what on earth she saw in him. She was young, full of life and had a wicked sense of humor. He was old, sedate and often a misery thanks to his past. But she had married him all the same and seemed to fall in love with him more everyday. Thank the gods the two girls hadn't called him because he would have done something he would have regretted. He would be forever grateful to them and to Mr Carson. Because his precious Anna was alright. He was going to have to do something special for her just to let her know how much he loved her. Perhaps he'd ask the two girls for a modern idea. They seemed to be the romantic type. He chuckled at the thought of them actually getting Mr Carson and Mrs Hughes together.

Of course everyone would love to see that, they have been working together for so many years. If Anna and he could work it, Why couldn't they?

That's it, he'll get the girls to help him do something romantic for Anna. He was sure he had heard the blonde one, Kailyn was it? Say she "shipped" them. Which seemed to be the modern way of saying people should be together, he could never see anyone in this day and age going around and "shipping" people. But if John was a modern man he'd definitely 'ship' himself and Anna as well as Carson and Mrs Hughes.

**Please review! It keeps us young! ;) **


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you to all of you who are still with us! We love you so so much!**

"Good heavens girl what on earth are you doing?" Mrs Patmore asked loudly, watching Kay go through all her cupboards with determination. Han looked up from her book and smirked

"Kaaaiiilllyyyynnn" she called "its rude to go through other people's cupboards without permission"

"I am looking" came the muffled reply "for the electric mixer."

Kay stood up and dusted her hands off on the apron Mrs Patmore had insisted she put on. It was actually Daisy's but as she still wouldn't come anywhere near the two girls Mrs Patmore had wisely given her the day off and had sent her off to the Masons farm while Kay helped in the kitchen

"And don't tell me they don't have one because its 1920" Kay added, catching sight of Han's amused expression "because I know for a fact that they do."

Han merely pointed at the device with was sitting quite innocently on the side board

"Oh. Well don't blame me that I'm semi blind okay!" Kay huffed and marched over towards it

"I wouldn't dream of it" Han said innocently "what are you making anyway?"

"I am making biscuits" Kay said quickly, while searching for any form of chocolate.

"Your chocolate chip ones?" Han asked eagerly.

"That's the plan" she turned to Mrs Patmore. "I don't suppose you've got any chocolate?"

"Kailyn! You're supposed to be helping Mrs Patmore not ordering her around." Han scolded lightly

"Do I have any chocolate? Just what kind of kitchen do you think I'm running?" Mrs Patmore snorted reaching into a cupboard and presenting Kay with a bag of chocolate. Kay clapped her hands in delight before pulling out a large bowl and throwing ingredients into it.

She crushed the chocolate up and started making the batter for her biscuits.

"Mrs Patmore?" Kay said softly, turning to the cook who had just been made helper as Kay had no clue where anything was. This had made Mrs Patmore laugh, she hadn't been an assistant cook in more years than she could count.

"Yes Kay?"

"Please turn the oven onto 180°" Kay smiled and went back to beating the egg and butter mixture. Han look around with an amused expression

"It must be interesting being ordered around by a 15-year-old" she commented

Mrs Patmore looked at Han

"I guess there is a first time for everything." She said lightly

Kay twirled around and danced over to the baking tray, placing spoons full of batter onto it.

"I do hope I have remembered the recipe correctly" she looked up from her work "Although I have made this way too many times before"

"No you haven't" Han said "well, not for me anyway."

Kay laughed and picked up a tray and danced over to the oven

"Does she always dance in the kitchen?" Mrs Patmore asked, looking up from where she was reading a recipe

"...And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." Han quoted "though to be honest, I really couldn't tell you what the hell she is hearing."

Kay stopped dancing, cocked her head and started again, wiggling her hips before sliding across the floor.

"Ah. The cha-cha slide." Han grinned "am I right?"

"Perhaps" Kay said. "In all honesty, I don't even know what I am hearing! "

Han laughed.

"You're dancing like no one is watching, unlike you do at the dance when you are meant to be dancing" Kay put the tray in the oven and pursed her lips

"hmm good point. Perhaps I am insane" she shrugged and danced over to Mrs Patmore. "Han wants to learn how to cook" Kay said looking over at Han and grinning.

"Seven hells! No. I don't! " Han said, waving her hands. "I'd burn down your kitchen, Mrs Patmore!"

"Please don't burn the kitchen down" Mrs Hughes said darkly as she walked in the kitchen and grabbed a kettle. "I don't think Mr Carson would cope."

"What do you mean?" Han asked, leaning forward eagerly

"He's like a bear with a sore head at the moment. He's reduced poor Lily to tears earlier, and I still haven't found out why." She explained, leaning against the counter

"Oh dear." Han sympathized "I suppose he can be a bit grumpy at times"

"Not without good reason" Mrs Hughes replied absent-mindedly, filling a teapot while Han and Kay exchanged looks of glee "Lady Mary has invited Charles Blake for dinner tomorrow and half of the Rundle dinner set is still up in London."

"I'm sure they'll live" Kay said.

"May I still join you for tea, Mrs Hughes? Kay has made some delicious biscuits for us!"

"I'm sure it's fine." Mrs Hughes looked at Kay "you made biscuits?"

She nodded happily "indeed I did. Can you not smell them? " she then went to the oven to go and check on her biscuits that were busy cooking. The smell wafted over to where Han and Mrs Hughes were leaning on the counter and Han let out a small moan

"Kay shut the oven door and stop torturing me!" She complained. Kay laughed and did as she was told

"Anyway, back to Mr Carson" she said "isn't there anyway you could um relieve his tension Mrs Hughes?"

"In what way do you mean?" Mrs Hughes asked narrowing her eyes slightly at Kay

"I don't know, give him a shoulder rub or something." She suggested innocently, reaching over for a pair of oven gloves. Mrs Hughes nearly dropped the cups she was holding

"I beg your pardon?"

"What Kay means" Han jumped in "is that maybe he'd cheer up with a little extra TLC."

"TLC?" Mrs Patmore repeated

"Tender loving care." Han explained "I'm sure Kay would be delighted to donate a few of her biscuits to the cause."

"Indeed I would" Kay confirmed with a grin

"Listen girls, I know you think there is something between Mr Carson and I but I can assure you that there-"

"Mrs Hughes, with all the extra work to be done I hardly think now is the time to be having a cup of tea and gossiping in the kitchen!" Mr Carson snapped as he strode into the kitchen

Kay put her cooked biscuits on the counter and look at Mr Carson , as sternly as she could manage

"now now, Mr Carson. Every girl needs some time for tea, biscuits and of course gossip"

Han nodded.

"But of course...if you would like to do something with Mrs Hughes. " she grinned at the two of them. Carson jumped

"No. That is not what I meant" he looked around and eyed the biscuits "and what on earth are these?"

"Heaven in a biscuit" Kay said simply "but wait till they cool, else they'll feel like you just ended up putting your tongue in hell." She added, smacking Han's hand away as it slowly reached towards the tray

Mrs Hughes sighed

"Mr Carson is right, of course. I should be working." She looked at Han "and I will most definitely not be taking your idea of this TLC as you would call it"

"What is TLC?" Mr Carson asked, looking confused

"Nevermind Mr Carson." Mrs Hughes said walking out of the kitchen "which bedroom shall I have made up?"

"The Gold Room I think Mrs Hughes." He suggested following her out

"Kay, I'm beginning to think that this is impossible." Han sighed sadly. Kay patted her arm sympathetically

"Nevermind Han, they'll come round eventually" Kay looked at her biscuits and picked one up, handing it to her parabatai "have a biscuit."

**Biscuits to all of you fabulous people who review! If you're enjoying the story please say 'AYE LADDIE!' **


	12. Chapter 12

**Before you start reading I just want to say that I have been waiting for this chapter since we started writing. -Han**

**Please don't kill us -Kay **

"Seven hells Kay where are you?" Han muttered to herself as she dashed down the stairs as fast as possible in the dress Anna had squeezed her into, nearly crashing into Thomas when she reached the bottom

"Have you seen Kay?" She asked him and got a non descript shrug in return

"Are you always this unhelpful or is it just me?" She asked irritably

"She's in the library." He told her with a very fake smile

"No she isn't" Han insisted "I was in there ten minutes ago."

"Well she must have walked in five minutes ago" he replied turning away and disappearing through a door. Han narrowed her eyes at his retreating figure before hurrying into the Library to find Kay perusing the book shelves

"Where the hell have you been? I've been looking all over for you." Han asked loudly

"Hello Han. Yes my afternoon has been rather pleasant thanks how about yours?" Kay asked sarcastically

"Sorry" sighed Han "its just that Charles Blake is going to be here soon and you still haven't gotten dressed. Anna is nearly tearing her hair out."

"It looks like you're the one who's tearing her hair out" Kay observed "what's happening?"

"Carson is being a right royal-"

"AHEM"

"To Mrs Hughes. I have no idea what's got into him but he's complaining about everything. I'm amazed she hasn't hit him over the head with a tea tray yet."

"What's got him so worked up?"Kay asked, still looking at books.

"I think its because this dinner was last minute." Han mused

"I also think we unnerve him." Kay added "I mean he doesn't exactly look forward to the future does he?"

"You can say that again." Han chuckled slightly "I just don't get why he has to take it out on her. Honestly its not her bloody fault."

"Han! Language!" Kay admonished

"You swear more than I do! " Han complained.

Kay sighed, ignoring Hans comment.

"I dunno, I think the only way to get them together is to shove them together. I'm tired of dropping hints."

"Well how do you propose we do that? Sit on them until they admit their feelings? I hate to tell you this but I think Carson could very easily toss us both to the side."

"We could always use the old method of locking them up together" Kay suggested with a mischievous glint in her eyes "I mean there's only so long you can go before being in close proximity with someone you love takes its toll."

"You know this exactly how?" Han teased, gently prodding her friend

"I get about Han dear, I get about"

"I'm worried about where you get about"

Kay look at Han

"Mostly bookstores, but not really the point" she pulled out a book at random and started reading the first page, holding the book unusually close to the groaned

"Kay! You have to get ready!

She put away the book, making a big scene about it, and stomped over to Han. Grumbling about how impractical dresses are and that if Sybil was here she wouldn't have to wear one.

"Get in your dress Anna picked for you, smile all happy like, then lock the to be couple in the blue room" Han ordered.

Kay did a mock salute and marched in front of Han.

)0(

"Ouch!" Kay hissed, whipping around to glare at her parabatai who had just kicked her under the table

"Stop staring at Carson like that. He's going to think you're planning something." Han whispered, looking meekly down at her place mat.

"Carson" Mary spoke has he was re-filling her glass of wine "is everything alright? Only you seem rather preoccupied."

"Everything is perfectly fine, thank you Milady" he answered in his usual prim and proper way

"...and everyone downstairs?" She continued

"Yes thank you milady" he answered, his impressive eyebrows knitting together "may I ask why?"

"Its just that I had to go down to the kitchen earlier to speak to Mrs Patmore and she mentioned that Mrs Hughes seemed very tired recently." Mary explained "has she mentioned anything to you?"

Carson became slightly flustered

"No, she has not mentioned anything, Milady. Perhaps it's all the work having to be done."

Mary nodded

"Yes I expect that's it"

"It could also be the fact that you've taken her head off at every available opportunity for the past two days." Han muttered taking a sip of her water. Unfortunately Han had forgotten that Granny had ears like a bat and as she was sitting next to her, could hear every syllable that Han uttered

"Is that true Carson?" She asked turning around to give him her famous evil eye.

"I wouldn't put it quite like that milady" he quickly defended himself "its just that there has been a lot of work to do"

"Yep because that's a great excuse to be rude." Kay answered "honestly Carson, even Mrs Hughes deserves a break sometimes"

"Miss Kay, I am all for people taking a break when the work is completed." He said in his most dignified tone "the house must come first!"

"Oh Carson" Mary sighed "there is no need to make life unpleasant."

"Besides, should ones mental health not come before something as silly as a house?" Kay asks. Picking at her food.

"Kay! You'll give Carson a heart attack calling this place silly" Han groaned

"The house is anything but silly" Carson said, getting annoyed with Kay. She shook her head but didn't say anything more.

"All we're saying is that there is no need to be quite so harsh with her Carson" Han soothed "she has worked very hard to get this far and she does know her job. You've been treating her like an imbecile."

"Why shouldn't Carson be harsh?" Granny asked "its obviously working. The Flintures household is never as well run as ours."

"I never said he couldn't be harsh. He can yell at a misbehaving footman until he makes the poor lad cry for all I care" Han defended herself

"We just meant that there is no need to be rude when Mrs Hughes is doing her job perfectly." Kay continued "as you've just said this household is very well run by the Butler and the HOUSEkeeper"

"I only snapped at her when she was having tea with you girls instead of working" Carson pointed out.

"That we know of" Kay snapped back, crossing her arms.

"Besides we had organized the tea for awhile! It wasn't just because she was being lazy" Han added in.

"Well I must agree with Carson on that, tea while on duty? What next? The maids opening doors? " Granny said.

"Do you have to be so harsh, Granny?" Edith asked "I mean it was just tea"

"You still didn't have to snap!" Han protested "honestly its like you don't care about her at all while I know for a fact that you do."

At this point Kay started humming 'dashing away with a smoothing iron' which caused Carson to do a slight double take

"Well girls" Lord Grantham sighed "it appears you were wrong. Carson clearly doesn't love our dear Mrs Hughes" Han and Kay stared at him before simultaneously chiming

"Of course he does!"

"Of course I do!" Carson snapped before his expression turned to one of absolute horror once he realized what he'd just said. A scary silence followed as everyone, including Granny, was staring at him with their mouths hanging open

"Carson...are...are you sure?" Lord Grantham asked haltingly while Kay looked over at Han, waiting for her reaction to whatever Carson may say next.

Carson looked around, but didn't notice the fact that Mrs Hughes was right by the door, listening in.

He sighed "of course I do! " he exclaimed. "If I didn't, I wouldn't have married her ten years ago!"


	13. Chapter 13

**Kay: sorry for the delay, turns out I'm useless at writing romance and my Parabatai refuses to fire me. **

**Han: I can't fire her, even I don't know what goes on in that pretty head of hers. **

There was a deadly silence as everyone absorbed what Carson had just blurted out. Han's eyes were as wide as saucers, Kay's mouth was hanging open, Mrs Hughes had quite literally fallen through the door, Charles Blake's fork had frozen in mid air on the way to his mouth and every single one of the Crawley family was wearing looks of absolute shock. Granny was the first to recover

"What did you just say Carson?"

"I married her ten years ago" he repeated quietly. Mrs Hughes sidled up to him and slipped her hand into his, causing him to jump slightly before smiling down at her.

"Do you mean to tell me" Han said slowly "that for the last week I have been working my ass off trying to get you two together for absolutely no reason?"

Carson and Mrs Hughes glanced at one another before Carson said heavily

"I'm afraid so."

Han stood up from her chair and swatted Carson on the arm

"Damn you Carson!" She exclaimed loudly

Kay looked at Han

"What? Aren't you happy that they're together? "

"Of course I'm happy, but knowing sooner would have been nice!"

"I was close to telling you girls while we were having tea, before Mr Carson interrupted"

Granny looked at Carson and Mrs Hughes "Married? For ten years? How is it that none of us knew about this?!"

"We tried to keep it a secret Milady" Carson said, shooting a glare at the two girls "we knew that we wouldn't be able to continue to work here if the family knew."

"But this doesn't make any sense!" Han said, rubbing her temples

"Carson, I think we had better go through to the drawing room. You owe us an explanation" Mary ordered, getting up and walking out. Everyone else exchanged confused looks before following her out.

"Carson please sit down" she said gesturing to a chair "and don't argue."

Amazingly he did as he was told and sat down on the couch with Mrs Hughes next to him. Everyone else found chairs except for Kay and Han who sat on the floor and stared up at them, like two children awaiting a story.

"Well, about a year after I came to Downton our head housemaid left to get married. The Housekeeper, Mrs Williams, didn't feel that any of our maids were ready to step up and she wanted to retire in a few years time so she needed someone who would take over her job. We advertised and Elsie got the job. I'll never forget the first time I saw her, she was dusty and hot from the train but I thought she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen." Carson said, gazing fondly at his wife, who had turned a alarming shade of scarlet. Kay glanced over at Han, who was beaming and obviously trying not to go into full fangirl mode, and rolled her eyes.

"We ended up spending more time together and it all went from there. One day I asked her to marry me and she declined the offer at first"

Han gasped in shock. Kay laughed softly at the thought of Mrs Hughes turning Mr Carson down.

"But I came around so we decided to keep it secret and small" Mrs Hughes took over "we managed to get one of our days off together and we headed down to Ripon to get married."

"Like Anna and Bates?" Kay asked

"Exactly like Anna and Bates, only no one knew but us." Mrs Hughes said

"But this still doesn't make any sense!" Han interrupted "what about Joe Burns? What about Haxby? What about the cancer scare? What about Alice?"

Mr Carson let go of his wife's hand and both of them looked a bit sheepish

"Well?" Granny asked impatiently

"We had an argument." Carson started

"Must of been a mother of an argument" Han muttered. Kay glanced over and smirked

"I wanted a family." Mrs Hughes said quietly "I wanted to leave service and run a tea shop or something but Char..Mr Carson didn't think it was wise."

"Carson!" Kay exclaimed "we could have had little baby Mrs Hughes's running around! I suppose we should start calling her Mrs Carson?"

"Oh no please don't" Granny interrupted "I'm already getting a dreadful headache."

"I'd lost most of my savings when I went on stage you see." Carson explained "I didn't want to have a tea shop fail and have a wife and child starve. We agreed eventually to stay married in name unless one of us wanted to marry someone else. Of which I would spend the night in some crusty hotel and Mrs Hughes could file for divorce."

"You fell out of love?" Edith asked from her chair in the corner

"I suppose so yes." Mrs Hughes said sadly "there's only so many arguments you can have with someone before you give up."

"I disagree!" Edith stated, standing up from her chair and folding her arms over her chest

"What a surprise" Mary muttered

"I'm with Edith" Han said, also standing up "you could have thought of something! Carson, I'm sure you earn enough to keep a family comfortable? You could have stayed with the Crawley's and Mrs Hughes move into a cottage with the baby. Isn't that right?" She asked, glancing around the room as if daring them to disagree with her.

"What ever you say dear" Granny said, raising her eyebrows

"If Anna can do it, Why can't they?" Kay asked. It was a valid question, Edith nodded in agreement

"She has a point."

"But Anna isn't the housekeeper " Granny said. Mrs Hughes looked at her employers and the two girls

"This is exactly why we didn't want to tell anyone" she sighed

"That's besides the point." Han replied "the question is: what happens now?"

"Well, I don't see a problem." Lord Grantham said "we can organize a quick and clean divorce and we can continue as if this mess never happened."

"What?!" Han and Kay protested loudly

"Kay, this man has completely lost his mind!" Han continued

"I agree." Kay said

"Carson, can you tell me honestly that you no longer love Mrs Hughes?" Han asked. Carson looked at his wife with a tender expression

"No I can't." He said very seriously

"..and you Mrs Hughes? Do you still love him?"

"Yes...yes I do." She said quietly

Kay crossed her arms

"Well then, it's settled! No divorce " she said and Han nodded in agreement.

Lord Grantham stood up

"But how will this work? We can't have their relationship interfere with their work."

"It never has!" Han protested.

"They've been married for ten years! " Kay shouted.

"They do have a point" Edith said. The girls were liking Edith more and more lately.

"Well then" Lord Grantham started, he looked at Carson "it's up to you I suppose. "

"I do not fully agree with this" Granny told them, having to put something in.

"No surprise there" Lady Grantham muttered.

"Don't be so unfair, Granny " Mary told her "the girls have brought me to their side with this whole Carson and Hughes debate, and I don't see any problem with it."

"Yay!" The two girls cheered

Lord Grantham shot them a disapproving look before throwing his hands in the air

"I'm going to bed. We can sort this out tomorrow." He said and departed followed shortly by his wife.

"I think they are going to have words." Han decided, watching them go.

"I think we all better go to bed." Granny decided "Mrs Hughes, I'm assuming there's a room available for me?"

"There is milady, the Gold room is always made up for you."

"I'll show you the way" Mr Carson offered

"Honestly Carson, I do know the way. I used to live here you know." She huffed and stalked out followed by Mary and Edith. Han and Kay said goodnight and left but Han pulled Kay back so they could watch through the gap in the doorway in time to see Carson lean in and kiss Mrs Hughes very gently. They then both ran up the stairs to their room before squealing and jumping up and down.

"He kissed her! He kissed her!" Han chanted. Kay couldn't quite bring herself to scold her.

**Thank you to all those who are still reading and reviewing. We love you guys! **


	14. Chapter 14

**Last chapter dear readers! Thank you so much for sticking with us! **

**Enjjjooooooyyyyyy! **

Mary rolled over in bed and stretched, her mind still a buzz from everything that had happened the previous evening. To find out that Carson had married Mrs Hughes ten years ago was quite a large shock. She wasn't upset that they'd done it, in fact she was rather amused to find that Carson did have a romantic bone in his body. She knew Mathew would have found it hysterically funny. No, Mary was more miffed about the fact that Carson had never told her. She had always been his favorite, had always been able to twist him round her little finger..or so she thought. To find out now that there had been another woman in his life was a little disheartening. To be honest she was a little jealous. Her train of thought dissolved when Anna came in, carrying her breakfast.

"Good morning milady" Anna greeted looking extremely sparkily eyed. Mary had told her the shocking news last night, but both of them had been too tired for a good gossip

"How are the Carson's this morning?" Mary asked and Anna grinned in response

"They're both trying to stay professional, but its a bit difficult with Daisy and the younger maids giggling every time they see them." She told her "actually, I'm amazed he hasn't shouted at any of them yet."

"Mrs Hughes must be a calming influence" Mary teased "what about Kay and Han?"

"I think they're still asleep." Anna said "there was a lot of jumping around and squealing last night. They must have been up until well past two."

"Heavens."

"His lordship asked that you all meet in the library after breakfast to discuss what's to be done about Mr Carson and Mrs Hughes." Anna told her. Mary sighed

"Do I have to? I don't see why they can't just carry on as usual."

"Edith said the same thing" Anna said with a smirk

"Finally we agree on something." Mary teased "right Anna, you best get my battle armor ready, I fear papa isn't going to like this."

(+)

Elsie was as jumpy as a rabbit in spring. In a few moments she would find out whether she was going to be fired for a something she did ten years ago. Would she do it again? She glanced over at her husband, who caught her worried expression and squeezed her hand. Yes. Yes she would do it again.

"Ready?" He asked softly

"As ready as I'll ever be." She answered and they both walked into the library together.

"Ah Carson, Mrs Hughes." Lady Grantham greeted "please sit down, we're still waiting for Han and Kay."

"I wonder what's keeping them." Lord Grantham mused "they're usually down by now."

"I'm in the room next to them, they were awfully quiet all morning" Charles Blake told them all "perhaps they're still asleep."

"Carson, ask Anna to go and fetch them please" The Dowager requested "at my age I cannot afford to wait all day."

Charles nodded and disappeared. He returned ten minutes later, with a folded piece of paper in his hand, which he gave to Lord Grantham

"They're not there milord. But this was on the pillow" he said before standing next to Elsie. Lord Grantham opened it and read it aloud

'Dear Downtoners,

I'm afraid that by the time you read this, we will be gone. We don't exactly know how we're going, we just know that we are. Be thankful that we wrote a letter, instead of running down the halls singing "She looks so perfect" at the top of our lungs like Kay wanted to do.

We would like to thank you for your generosity and kindness while we stayed in your home. We hope we didn't give you too much of a headache. We will never forget our time spent with you and we hope neither will you. Before we go there is a few bits of advise we would like to leave you with.

First off, please don't fire Carson and Mrs Hughes. While it would have been nice if they'd mentioned it a little sooner, we understand their reasoning and we know that they are professionals. But their love is a true one, and not many people are blessed to have such a thing. (Yes Corbert we know you do.) If we hear that you fired them I'll send you a microwave!

Second, Mr Bates we beg you to watch that temper. We believe that you are a good person and

Ok that's it, I took the pen away from her. Honestly, she's writing like an old lady! Although I can't blame her, she is rather old.

Anyway, as she was saying only I'll say it in a much for entertaining and less tiring way, Bates don't kill anyone will you? I get very upset when ever the cops are all like "arrest him" blah blah blah. I am aware that you aren't a murderer but not the point. Mrs Patmore, I left my recipe for my chocolate chip biscuits on the counter! Enjoy! And now I'm becoming the Granny and going on and on, aren't I?

Sorry about that. I'd start again but we don't have much time left. I'll try and hurry it up

Granny, can we just say that you are awesome!

Lord Grantham, don't take your wife for granted

And Bates, to answer your earlier question: Chocolate, flowers and her favorite song.

Okay, I'm officially out of time now.

Thank you once again,

Han and Kay.'

"Well, I suppose that's settled then." The Dowager said "Carson and Hughes stay. I really don't fancy being sent a microwave, what ever that is."

"So that's it? Even when those girls aren't here we bend to their will! " Lord Grantham moaned.

"Apparently so" Edith said.

"I am happy Carson and Mrs Hughes are staying" Mary added.

"Oh very well." Lord Grantham huffed "Carson and Mrs Hughes, you may go."

"Thank you mi'lord" Charles said, bowing his head and together they hurried out the room. Elsie had quite a few plans up her sleeve now that everyone knew they were married.

(+)

Han was very warm, and very comfortable and very annoyed that her phone was being very loud. She had been having a lovely dream until someone had decided to wake her up. She groaned and reached for it with her eyes closed.

She had about five messages from her parabatai

"Honestly, this girl has no respect for sleep!" She muttered to herself, reading the messages with her eyes half closed

From Kay to Han

Morning!

Omw I had the weirdest dream last night

I'll tell you when you're awake

Are you awake yet? I'll forget my dream. If that's possible with how strange it was

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnn? Why aren't you awake? You'd like it you know, the dream I had. WAKE UPPPPPP.

Han groaned, considering ignoring Kay for a bit longer. She was curious about her dream though.

Han: I had a strange dream too, what was yours?

Kay: Ha! You're awake! Okay so it's like this right? Somehow I ended up at this door and... Kay typed out her side of the downton story. Han shook her head in confusion. How on earth was that possible

Han: that's weird. I had the exact same dream!

Kay: Told you we were proper parabatai! We're even sharing dreams :P

Han:Well, you were right about one thing...

Kay: oh?

Han: That apple pie was divine

Kay: I want to go back and take Mrs Patmore with me!

Han: We should totally make this into a fic.

Kay: Yes! People will love that! Especially those who ship Carson and Hughes.

**I hope you will all be kind enough to review one last time. Kay my dear, its been an honor to write this with you. **


End file.
